You did it to yourself. The fun and mirth gradually disappeared while you stayed in your garret those years nipping glögg and boring yourself to death with websites. It took a while for you to come around to discover that you needed the chaos, the incessant ringing of bells and even the crowds, to be inspired.

But now you're back, thank heavens, and ready to revel in the city's elaborate decorations, to critique and even to buy some of the year's jazziest collections of merchandise. Lift off with a few of San Francisco's newest and best gifts. We began the search in August at the New York International Gift Fair. That annual show is the mother lode of designers everywhere.

From Design House Stockholm comes Fia, a mouth-blown carafe designed by the award-winning Nina Jobs. She famously excels in functional simplicity, and this example looks wonderful serving water or wine. The crystal spheres come in several colors. $69, available at Zinc Details, 1905 Fillmore St. (415) 776-2100 and 2410 California St., S.F. (415) 776-9002.

Let yourself fall victim to the swank D.L. & Co. candles. This is the first boutique American luxury company to sell perfumed candles in art-glass containers. Some of you - and you know who you are - who shop only at fashionable stores already know that D.L. & Co.'s packaging is to die for: a cloth-covered box in which the candle is immersed in hand-pleated tissue. For the holiday season, D.L. & Co. offers two new fragrances, and they look exactly the way a gift should. Edelweiss is a "reflection of deep and powerful emotions of love" and Rouge (pictured) is a melange of red flowers mingling with sultry Baltic amber and aged Indonesian patchouli. 2 ounces,$35, available at Barneys New York, 77 O'Farrell St., S.F. (415) 268-3500.

David Weeks wins awards for lighting and furniture designs right and left, and now he's entertaining us with the Cubebot, which you can pick up at the SFMOMA store. It's made of sustainably harvested cherry wood and is an amusing and durable take on the traditional plastic battery-driven robot. Cubebot holds many poses, thanks to durable wood limbs, and is inspired by the Japanese Shinto Kumi-ki puzzles. Three sizes fold into a perfect cube. Starting at $25, SFMOMA Museum Store, 151 Third St., S.F. (415) 357-4035.

How perfectly Georg Jensen to interpret a few of its Verner Panton-designed classic pieces with a modern edge and have them available in our very own Gump's in time for the holidays. (Especially for those of you who hold dear this great Danish design house, which opened its doors in 1904.) This mirror-polished stainless steel tray, Masterpiece Design 1302, comes in two sizes: 17 by 14 inches and 7 by 6 inches ($575 and $125) P.S.: If you're a tad squeamish about the price of this beauty, then pick up the smaller of the two and top it off with a few ornaments from Gump's famous assortment. 135 Post St., S.F. (415) 982-1616.

Perch in Glen Park has just received a sushi set by FINK and Co., an Australian source of hand-finished designs that challenge their dreary utilitarian counterparts. The undulating pieces made of anodized aluminum in matte silver and black could give pause to a carnivore. Further, they are sexy. Perch has the trays in silver with the wasabi dish in black. Sold in sets of two for $140. 654 Chenery St., S.F. (415) 586-9000.

Diesel has a Successful Living gift that is likely to sail off the shelves. Yes, that Diesel. The company has collaborated with Foscarini, the modern Italian lighting company, to produce Pett. The lamp has clean, angular lines for its metal stem and supporting feet; it comes in fluorescent colors or minimalist black and white. ($342). 800 Market St., S.F. (415) 398-4055.

New York's John Derian, the stylish master of decoupage, has just introduced a pair of romantic suits: the king and queen of hearts, who appear as 5-by-8-inch trays. The store, Sue Fisher King in Pacific Heights, carries the royal duo ($79). They look rich and very gift-worthy. And because Derian's work is always encased in glass, the buyer at Sue Fisher King emphasized that they are hand-washable. 3067 Sacramento St., S.F. (415) 922-7276.

The Mercury Cake Stand from British designer Nick Munro flew into Anthem Home Interiors in Pacific Heights this week. Just when you think there may be a glut of cake stands, well here's another. Honestly, we love them all. But after all the Victoriana, hobnail and cut glass, Munro's cake stand is a headliner of cool that will make any cake a showoff. It's 10 inches in diameter and 5 inches tall ($140, confection not included). 3274 Sacramento St., S.F. (415) 440-6500.

San Francisco artist Tina Frey has followers in every corner of the world. This month, see her resin vases at the SFMOMA store in a variety of sizes from 4 3/4 by 2 1/2 inches to 12 by 5 1/2 inches ($40-$200). SFMOMA Museum Store, 151 Third St., S.F. (415) 357-4035.

Surely you won't mind if we sneak in just one item that is not in a store and must be ordered. Delivery is swift. It's the wittiest "ornament" on the planet and it's been introduced to our holiday-hungry eyes by the New York gallery Artware Editions. "Chimera" is by the conceptual artist Peter Eudenbach. In limited edition for the 2010 holiday season, signed and numbered. Turquoise glass, cast pewter feet and hardware. Approximately 4 inches tall. ($150). Artware Editions, New York. (212) 463-7490. www.artwareeditions.com.